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Heroes responded to child in danger

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Tuesday February 12, 2013 5:05 AM

The death of 5-year-old Elijah T. Walker, pulled from an icy pond, is made even more tragic by
the loss of a good Samaritan who saw the little boy going under, jumped out of his car, and then
drowned in a rescue attempt.

James Russell Jenkins, 30, is a hero. Witnesses said he was driving by the pond at the Hartford
on the Lake apartment complex on Thursday evening when he spotted the floundering child; Elijah had
been playing on the ice with friends, as kids are apt to do, when he fell through. Columbus
firefighters and police officers also are heroes; several voluntarily jumped into the 39-degree
water in an hour-long rescue effort. Jenkins died Thursday night; the child succumbed on
Sunday.

Jenkins was the father of a son who is the same age as Elijah. No doubt, his instincts as a
parent kicked in, and he didn’t stop to consider his own safety. As Jenkins’ father, Walter Jenkins
of Gary, Ind., put it, “There’s still some people out there that will lay their life down for
another.”

The large storm-water pond, which meanders among apartment buildings off S. Hamilton Road, has
claimed at least four other victims since 1998. Last week’s drowning is a reminder for people to
stay away from these ponds, which are commonly used to reduce storm-water runoff and beautify
landscaping. Though pleasing to the eye and environment, they can be deadly.

Long-married pair offers Valentine’s Day advice

Most people associate Valentine’s Day with the kind of romantic infatuation that is heady but
often short-lived. So it’s refreshing to be reminded around this time of year that love can last a
lifetime.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter, a California-based “Christian marriage-enrichment program,”
searches each year to highlight a U.S. couple whose exceptionally long marriage provides an example
and inspiration. This year’s couple is John and Ann Betar of Fairfield, Conn., who celebrated 80
years of marriage in November.

The couple surely has good genetics and good luck on their side, in addition to dedication: John
is 101 and Ann is 97. They were married on Nov. 25, 1932; since then, they’ve had five children, 14
grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

The beginning of their marriage had the stuff of romantic fairy tales: Both were members of the
Syrian community in Bridgeport, Conn., where Ann’s traditional parents had arranged a marriage for
her. But Ann had other ideas, and eloped with John to get married in Harrison, N.Y.

That type of willfulness may not be the secret to a lasting relationship, though. Asked what
advice they would give to others on how to remain happily married, the two say to “compromise and
don’t hold a grudge,” according to ABC News.

Ann added that “unconditional love and understanding” have been key in their years together.